Boston Dynamics robots dance to K-pop band BTS' 'Permission To Dance' song; WATCH

Boston Dynamics has released another groovy video of its four-legged robots dancing to K-pop sensation BTS’ Permission to Dance song. The Boston-based robot manufacturing company shared the video earlier this month for the 'BTS Yet To Come in BUSAN' concert on October 15 to promote the city's bid for World Expo 2030. 

In the funky video, Boston Dynamics’ one of the robotic dogs named Spot can be seen initiating the song following which six others join the leader for a synced performance. The video also features the company’s bipedal robot Atlas, which stands six-feet-tall and is the most dynamic humanoid robot, according to Boston Dynamics. 

This, however, is not the first time the company choreographed a performance by Spot robots on a BTS song, the previous one being on the 'IONIQ: I’m On It' which was released in 2020. “Every time we make a new video, the ability of the robot is improved. It looks fluid and artistic on film, but we need to make it work on hardware first”, Kathleen Brandes, a software engineer on the Spot team said in an official statement.

In another official blog, roboticist Eric Whitman said, "Everything had to be worked out in advance and scripted precisely. Robots have the advantage over humans in that they’re very repeatable– once you get it right, it stays right. But they have the disadvantage that you have to tell them every little detail. They don’t improvise at all". 

Utilities of the dancing robot

Apart from its flawless dancing, the Spot class of robots is coming in handy for a gamut of tasks. Costing a little over Rs 61 lakh, the robotic dogs till now have been used for inspecting SpaceX's launch pads, have been deployed in the French military, are being used by the New York Fire Department for rescue missions, and are being used at the Pompeii archaeological park to inspect the ancient Italian city's streets and tunnels, Daily Mail reported. 

According to Boston Dynamics, the Spot robots can be controlled remotely and are capable of carrying and powering up to 14 kg of inspection equipment.